1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a household or kitchen utensil. More specifically, the invention is a hand, press-type device adapted for draining liquids from canned goods and for removing severed lids from canned goods.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that many solid food products, such as fish and meat, are canned with a relatively high content of liquid, such as water or oil. Thus, it is frequently desirable or necessary to separate or extract the liquid from the solid food product in connection with preparation of the food product or to facilitate extraction of the solid food product from the can.
A number of utensils, devices, and practices have been proposed in the prior related art for use in separating the liquid from the solid contents inside a can and/or in removing a severed lid from the can.
For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 330,313 issued on Oct. 20, 1992 to Green shows a canned food press comprising a pair of elongated handle assemblies which are pivotally connected at their distal ends. The upper handle assembly comprises an upper handle and a circular element. The lower handle assembly comprises a lower handle, a vertical member, and a circular support member. The support member has three sections of side walls that are separated by three areas with an absence of side walls. The side walls, however, are not positioned at the correct geometric positions to allow the support member to receive certain non-circular cans (such as rectangular-shaped sardine cans).
U.S. Design Pat. No. 337,702 issued on Jul. 27, 1993 to Lange shows a single piece tuna can press, having many drainage openings. In use, the single piece tuna can press may be placed on top of a can lid, or directly on top of the food product contained in the can. Pressed together with the can, the liquid is drained through the holes by inverting the can and press.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 342,649 issued on Dec. 28, 1993 to Miller et al. shows a press for canned goods comprising a pair of elongated handle assemblies which are pivotally connected at their distal ends. The upper handle assembly comprises an upper handle and a circular food pressing element having drainage holes. The lower handle assembly comprises a lower handle, a vertical member, and a bar-like or rod-like support member.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 358,304 issued on May 16, 1995 to Hoddinott shows a can squeezer comprising a pair of elongated, curved handle assemblies which are pivotally connected at about the midpoint of the assemblies. The upper handle assembly comprises a curved, upper handle at one end and a circular food pressing element at the distal end. The lower handle assembly comprises a curved lower handle at one end and a circular support member having no side walls at the distal end.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 366,189 issued on Jan. 16, 1996 to Bidlack shows a draining press for canned goods comprising a pair of elongated handle assemblies which are pivotally connected at their distal ends. The upper handle assembly comprises an upper handle and a circular food pressing element. The lower handle assembly comprises a lower handle and a circular can-support member.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 379,139 issued on May 13, 1997 to Berde shows a combined liquid extraction and lid removal tool for cans comprising a pair of elongated handle assemblies which are pivotally connected at about the midpoint of the assemblies. The upper handle assembly comprises an upper handle at one end and a circular food pressing element at the distal end. The lower handle assembly comprises a lower handle at one end and a circular support member having no side walls at the distal end.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,544 issued on Dec. 7, 1976 to Farley discloses a tuna squeezer and strainer utensil comprising a cup-shaped member having a cylindrical wall, a perforated base providing permeability to liquids while blocking passage of solids, and a pair of support tabs distally extending from the cylindrical wall, for grasping the press. The can and press may be inverted to permit drainage of the liquids from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,969 issued on Dec. 28, 1993 to McDonald discloses a canned food product compressing and liquid extracting device comprising a pair of elongated lower and upper handle assemblies which are pivotally connected at their distal ends, and a linkage extending between and connected with a piston member and the one end of the lower handle to cause pivoting of the piston relative to an upper handle. The upper handle assembly comprises the upper handle, a circular food pressing element, and the piston member pivotally mounted to the upper handle for insertion into the open top end of the container so as to overlie a severed lid of the container. The lower handle assembly comprises a lower handle at one end, an upturned end portion at the other end, and a can seating means, that can take the form of a cradle or land portion, positioned between the two ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,759 issued on Nov. 15, 1994 to D'Ambrosio discloses a hand-operated can press comprising a base, a pair of parallel standards extended rigidly from the base, an inner squeezing handle spanning the ends of the pair of standards remote from the base, a pair of slide elements that may be translatable along the respective standards, an outer squeezing handle that may span the ends of the pair of slide elements remote from the base, a circular seat for receiving a cylindrical can, and a platen.
The prior art fails to teach a device or utensil regarding the draining of canned goods which enables an operator, with one hand, to compress the solid contents inside a can which has either circular or non-circular shape, to remove the unwanted liquid inside the can, and to remove the severed lid from the can, without the action being unduly unsanitary, unsafe, messy, unreliable, tiring, or time consuming. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.